Merry Christmas, You're Fired. PS, Sorry About Your Cancer.
MayorBob.
Posted to Business on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 01:25:13 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.
There are bad bosses and then there are world class bad bosses. Your garden variety bad boss might have you run personal errands for him or her or take all the credit for your hard work or stiff you on overtime. But a world class bad boss will fire you right before Christmas because you've been off work with cancer. A real life example of such a world class bad boss is Florida Fourth Circuit Court Judge Aaron Bowden.
Christine Birch, by all accounts, was an exemplary employee. The 54-year-old Jacksonville, Florida resident served as the judicial assistant to Judge Bowden for more than 17 years. But Birch's five-year battle with cancer worsened last year. She took off on approved leave back in August, leaving Bowden without an assistant. Apparently Bowden managed to judge on by borrowing the services of other judicial assistants in the Duvall County Courthouse. Bowden was informed the court was going to be subject to a 60 day hiring freeze effective 15 December. He asked the county court administrator if this meant he couldn't hire a replacement for Birch for at least 60 days. Affirmative was the response back. Bowden then jotted off the following note to Birch:"It is apparent to me that you are not able to return to work within a reasonable period of time. Thank you for your conscientious and loyal service. You will always have a special place in my heart."
Not only did Bowden terminate Birch from her (US)$39K per year job, it also left her without medical, life or disability insurance. The reaction around the courthouse was fast and furious. Chief Circuit Court Judge Donald Moran called Bowden "a no-good son of a bitch" and reinstated Birch back on the court payroll, albeit at a lower paying job. Judge Bowden, feeling unfairly criticized by Moran responded with his own email defense. He took umbrage at Moran's characterization of him, mentioned he had tried to offer helpful advice to Birch during her absence, and was concerned he could be without an assistant "for as much as six months" if Birch died while still on leave. Of course, as he composed that email, he had passed the four month mark in being without an assistant.
Bowden's firing of Birch also enraged the other assistants at the courthouse, most of whom collected enough money to pay for her rent. Most of them shared the opinion of Donna Vail who said what happened to Birch "could happen to any of us" and "Chris Birch has been a loyal employee to Judge Bowden ... who has been terminated for strictly health issues and not for her service to her judge." How much of a bad boss does this make Aaron Bowden? Bad enough to get nominated as 2008's earliest mention as "Judge Of The Day" by one legal blogger who didn't mean that in a nice way.
